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We created New York Surf Spots, a Google map to help pinpoint surf breaks in New York. New York Surf Spots is open collaboration. Please feel free to add your local New York surf knowledge to the map by dropping a few anchor icons wherever good waves break.

I grew up on the south shore so break locations west of Fire Island are slim, save for a couple spots in Montauk.

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The New York Islanders have always had one of my favorite logos because the outline of Long Island is front and center. The people at 631 Surf riffed on that design and the outcome is something great. Get yours here.

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My sister Heather just returned from a trip to Denmark, in which she discovered it to be a biking utopia. Photos and words by her below.

I recently traveled to Denmark and was struck by their biking culture. More people use bicycles than cars. Every street has a bike lane wide enough for three riders across. Coming from New York, where you see bikes painted white as a memorial marking the spot where a biker was killed and the majority of streets have no bike lane, the amount of bikes in Denmark really made an impression on me.

Bikes are in front of every store, restaurant and bar, and all offices and rail stations are equipped with large bike garages. Many bikes have carts attached to the front for groceries, pets, and children. The Danes ride their bikes throughout the year in rain or shine and it rains often in Denmark. It rained a few times while I was there and the rain did little to lessen bike traffic-people just put on full body rain gear.

I was also impressed to hear that few bikes are stolen in Denmark. Bike theft was on my mind because my little sister, who lives in New Orleans, recently had her bike stolen from her own backyard. Her bike was chained up but the thieves were equipped with wire cutters. I know they had wire cutters because they so kindly left them in the spot were her bike had been.

At first glance it does not look like any of the bikes in Denmark are locked up. I asked my walking tour guide about this and he pointed out that most bikes have a tiny circular lock around the back wheel. I asked how that prevented people from just walking away with someone’s bike and he responded that anyone carrying a bike would look suspicious and someone would ask them what they are doing—mind blowing! Denmark is a truly amazing place and their bike culture is just one tiny aspect.

There are 680 people that live in the coastal city of Yakutat, Alaska. With an average yearly air temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit, Yakutat doen’t jump out as an ideal surf destination, but it’s the backdrop for the surf-inspired label appearing on the Alaskan Brewing Company’s IPA.

Ironic as it may seem, the label is a surprisingly accurate representation of Alaska’s most popular surf spot.

You’ve got to be one radical dude to surf the waves that break in Yakutat. While the air temperature does get a bit warmer in summer (it was 67 degrees Fahrenheit in July) that water temp is always going to give you an ice cream headache after every duck dive. These are some serious ice tubes, but they are without question breaking in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Costa Rica, Hawaii and Baja all have their obvious draw of perfect waves and warm weather, but being able to say you’ve surfed in Alaska would be worth the potential frostbite. And hey, the surf up there looks good too!

Don’t freak out if you get all the way to Alaska and forgot to pack your frigid-temp surf wax, there’s a local surf shop called Icy Waves dominating the Yakutat surf market.

Oh yeah, New York City has a Haight district. It’s in Queens. And from the amazing graphic above, and the detailed post written over on Forgotten NY, it’s clear that the San Francisco Haight district and New York Haight district have absolutely nothing in common (save for a street name).

The post on Forgotten NY is actually pretty interesting (full of old maps and stuff), but this is hands down my favorite line prefixing the neighborhood comparisons:

Come and see where the smell of incense fills the air and where the smell of the Flushing River suffuses the nostrils

Kind of a toss-up between which Haight district is better. New York Haight doesn’t appear to have street kids or bong emporiums, so that’s a plus. But Citi Field is right across the river. And San Francisco Haight isn’t in Queens, so that’s a win… Tough call. What do you think?